Question

What do tapeworms eat?

Answer 1

The tapeworms feed off the food that the host is digesting.

Explanation:

Tapeworms have no digestive tract , so they must eat food that is already digested by another animal. Tapeworms absorb nutrients directly across their skin.

Humans are infected by the larval stage, the cysticercus from pork. A cysticercus is oval in shape, containing an inverted scolex (head) . That scolex pops out externally once inside the small intestines. This process of evagination is stimulated by bile juices and digestive enzymes of the host. Using the scolex it anchors to the intestinal wall. It grows in size using nutrients from the surroundings.